Forbra (foaled 1925) was a

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic ...

best known for being the winner of the 1932 Grand National

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

when relatively unconsidered at 50/1. Prior to his victory in 1932, Forbra beat

Golden Miller Golden Miller (1927–1957) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who is the most successful Cheltenham Gold Cup horse ever, winning the race in five consecutive years between 1932 and 1936. He also is the only horse to win both of the United Kingdom's p ...

in a race where 'The Miller' was disqualified for carrying the wrong weight. The gelding had originally been aimed at another race at the meeting, but was switched to the National after winning a race at

Taunton Racecourse Taunton Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Orchard Portman, two miles south of Taunton, Somerset, England. Opened in 1927, Taunton is the youngest National Hunt course in England, and the last racecourse to be opened in Bri ...

. He started at odds of 50/1 in a field of thirty-six runners and won by three

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the In ...

from Egremont. Forbra subsequently finished sixth in the race in 1933 and fourth in 1934 and never fell during his racing career. He was put down in 1935 after a race at Newbury, having broken a fetlock between the final two fences. Forbra's owner, Mr William (Billie) Parsonage, was a well-known commission agent based in

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

, and had previously attempted to win the National with a number of staying chasers. The best known of these was Master Billie, who had been greatly fancied and heavily backed in 1929. Forbra was the first Grand National winner to emerge from the famous Kinnersley stables near Worcester, where in later years

Fred Rimell Thomas Frederic Rimell (24 June 1913 – 12 July 1981), better known as Fred Rimell, was a British champion National Hunt racing jockey and horse trainer. He was champion jockey three times and leading trainer five times. Rimell was the fi ...

, son of Forbra's trainer

Tom Rimell Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

, became a champion trainer, winning more Nationals and almost all the major NH events of his time. Forbra is honoured each year with the Forbra Gold Challenge Cup, a Handicap Chase over three miles. It is held at

Ludlow Racecourse Ludlow Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Bromfield near Ludlow, Shropshire, England. One of the oldest courses in the country Ludlow stages National Hunt racing however originally flat racing was held there. The Hurdles ...

in early March.

References

1925 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 43 Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom National Hunt racehorses Grand National winners {{racehorse-stub